Vehicle door



8- 13, 1940' E. J. DEISLEY ET AL 2,211,257

VEHICLE DOOR Filed 001;. 'l, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l fjg,l,

INVENTORS Edward JDez'sZey and Louis EIRuehZmann/ A TTORNE Y.

Aug. 13, 1940 E. J. DEISLEY El AL VEHICLE DOOR Filed 001;. l, 1937 2 sheets sheet 2 2 5 2 I INVENTORS Edward J flezsley Louis EIRaehZHmnn/ WWM A TTORNEY Patented Aug. 13, 1940 PATENT orrlca 1 VEHICLE DOOR Edward J. Deisley and Louis E. Ruehlmann, Philadelphia, Pa., assignors to Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application October 1, 1937, Serial No. 166.748

3 Claims.

This invention relates to vehicle doors, and more particularly to sheet metal doors for automobiles.

Such doors as commonly constructed comprise inner and outer panels secured together around their edges. The inner panel is usually provided with a flange extending in a plane parallel with the outer panel, and the edge of the outer panel is crimped around this flange and spot-welded 10 thereto.

Thus the spot-welding takes place along the edge of the outer panel and extends to the outer surface thereof, producing irregularities in such surface which it is necessary to eliminate by a grinding operation before the finish is applied.

An object of the present invention is to devise a construction by means of which the welding together of the edges of the inner and outer panels takes place within an area which is normally 20 concealed from View, and is 50 located that the outer surface of the door is not marred thereby. Thus the visible portion of the outer panel is entirely free from scars or irregularities due to the spot-welding of the parts together, and no 5 grinding is required.

Another object of the invention is to mount on the edge of a door thus constructed an improved weather strip which will engage the door posts and thus produce an air-tight and water- 30 tight seal around the door.

In order that the invention may be readily understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, and in which- 35 Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional automobile body with one of our improved doors mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section on an enlarged scale through one of the door posts and the adjacent edge of the door, showing the improved sealing strip;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary inside elevation on an enlarged scale of one corner of our improved door showing the method of assembly of the inner and 45 outer panels and the position of the sealing strip relative to the flanges of such panel;

Fig. 4 is an inside perspective view of our improved outer panel of the door;

Fig. 5 is an inside perspective view of our im- 50 proved inner panel; and

Figs. 6 and 'l are sectional views similar to Fig. 2, but showing slightly modified constructions.

Referring to the drawings in detail, our improved door, which is designated in its entirety 55 by the character C, comprises an inner panel I and an outer panel 2, provided with the usual window opening 4.

The inner panel is dished as usual so as to. provide a beveled edge 3 extending around the door. The metal beyond this edge is then bent 5 outwardly as at 3 and then inwardly so as to provide a peripheral flange 3, this flange forming, with the beveled edge 3, a trough or channel as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The outer panel 2 is formed around its periph- 10 cry with an inwardly extending flange 2 fitting over and nesting with the flange 3 of the inner panel. As clearly shown in Fig. 2, the edge portion 2 of the outer panel lies against the portion 3 of the inner panel constituting the bottom of the channel above referred to, and the overlapping or nested flanges 2 and 3 are in close contact. These overlapping flanges are then spotwelded together at a suitable number of points as indicated at at, these spot welds being located within the area of said flanges, and at a point remote from the outer surface of the panel 2.

Thus such outer surface is not marred by the welding operation.

Seated within the channel formed between the 5 beveled edge 3 and the nested flanges 2 and 3 is a sealing strip 5 of soft resilient material such as sponge rubber. As clearly shown in Fig. 2, this sealing strip extends beyond and envelopes the edges of the flanges 2 and 3b, a part of the strip, as indicated at 6, lying outside of said flanges.

Each of the door posts A and B comprises a beveled face 1 conforming with the shape of the beveled edge 3 of the door and, at its outer corner is formed with a groove or rabbet comprising the sides 8 and 9 disposed at substantial right angles to each other. When the door is closed, the inner face of the sealing strip 5 seats against the face 8 of the door post as illustrated in Fig. 40 2, and the outer edge of the portion 6 of such sealing strip also preferably engages the face 9 of the post. When the door is closed as shown in Fig. 2, it will be noted that flanges 2 and 3 which have been spot-welded together are partially embedded in the material of the cushion strip and, in any event, are received within the rabbet of the post and are thus concealed from view.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6, the outer panel instead of simply being flanged over as at 2 in Fig. 2 is bent back upon itself somewhat as shown at 2, thus forming a bead, the edge of which lies in close proximity to the face 9 of the post A. In this case the face 9 is preferably beveled so as to be substantially parallel with the face 1.

In the modification shown in Fig. 7, the rubber strip is formed with a portion 6' which completely envelopes the nested flanges 2 and 3 and the outer edge of the portion 6' closely engages the face 9 of the post. In this case the edge of the outer panel is first bent back upon itself and flattened down as shown at 2 and is then continued to form the upstanding flange 2 In all of the modifications, at intervals a portion of metal is struck up from the beveled edge 3 of the door to form a tang l0 serving to lock the cushion strip in position, Instead of these tangs or. in addition thereto, the strip may be secured to the metal channel by a suitable adhesive.

In all of the modifications also the area in which the panels are welded together is concealed from view when the door is closed, and in the modification of Fig. '7 this area is completely embedded in the cushion strip, and is thus invisible even when the door is open. The weldin of the nested flanges 2 and 3 constitutes the sole means securing the panels together in their outer margins, and the usual spot-weld marks appearing on the area 2 of doors as heretofore constructed are entirely avoided.

What we claim is:

1. In a vehicle, a wall provided with an opening, a closure member adapted to fit into said opening, said member comprising a frame rail, a flange extending laterally beyond said rail and being arranged substantially in the plane of the outer surface of the member, an inwardly directed extension of said flange, said extension being spaced from and substantially parallel to said rail near the outer edge of said flange, the width of said extension being less than the thickness of the member, said flange, said extension and said rail forming together an inwardly opening channel, a weather sealing strip inserted into said channel, said strip having a portion overlapping a part of the outside of said flange extension, the lateral surface of said overlapping portion pressing in the closed position of the member against the adjacent edge portion of the wall comprising the opening thereby effecting a tight weather seal and forming centering means between the wall and the closure member.

2. In a closure member for an opening in a vehicle body wall, a frame rail and an outer panel; said rail comprising a web extending inwardly from said panel and a flange which latter extends laterally from said web and is arranged adjacent and substantially parallel to said panel; an inwardly directed extension of said flange which is spaced from and extends substantially parallel to said web, the width of said extension being substantially less than the width of said web, said flange forming together with said web and said extension an inwardly facing channel which is adapted to receive a weather sealing strip; said panel extending laterally beyond said extension of the flange and having an adjoining marginal portion bent back upon the inner surface of the panel and then bent inwardly as to overlie and to be fastened to said flange extension; the portion of said panel which extends beyond said flange and the reversely bent portion forming a smooth and strong edge for the closure member and being adapted to hide from view to a substantial degree the space between said flange extension and an adjacent edge portion of the opening to be closed by the closure member.

3. In a closure member for an opening in a vehicle body wall, a frame rail and an outer panel; said rail comprising a web extending inwardly from said panel and a flange which latter extends laterally from said web and is arranged adjacent and substantially parallel to said panel; an inwardly directed extension of said flange which is spaced from and extends substantially parallel to said web, the width of said extension being substantially less than the width of said web, said flange forming together with said web and said extension an inwardly facing channel which is adapted to receive a weather sealing strip; said panel extending laterally beyond said extension of the flange and having an adjoining marginal portion bent back over but remaining slightly spaced from the inner surface of the panel and then bent inwardly as to overlie and to be fastened to said flange extension; the portion of said panel which extends beyond said flange and the reversely bent portion forming a smooth and strong hollow edge for the closure member and being adapted to hide from view to a substantial degree the space between said flange extension and an adjacent edge portion of the opening to be closed by the closure member.

EDWARD J. DEISLEY. LOUIS E. RUEHLMANN. 

